!!!!!SOLD!!!!! Extremely Rare Antique Mexican Government Arsenal 1/2 Scale French Gras Military Single Shot Bolt Action Rifle With Bayonet !!!!!SOLD!!!!!

!!!!!SOLD!!!!!  This is an extremely rare, one of only two known, 1/2 scale French Gras single shot bolt action military rifle with bayonet made in the Mexican Government Arsenal in Mexico City circa early 1880’s.  20 9/16″ long overall with a 13 1/16″ rifled barrel of .163 caliber.  The barrel starts off octagon at the breech, then tapering to round at the front of the rear sight.  The bayonet is 7 15/16″ long overall with a 6″ blade.  This exact rifle & bayonet pictured in Art Brown’s book Miniatures of Mexico on pages 275 – 280, 282 – 284, & 288 – 289 when it was offered for sale by Tom P. Weston in Mexico City, Mexico in 1952; Merrill Lindsey’s book “Miniature Arms” published in 1970, on page 97 when it was in the Berger Collection, & Guns Magazine’s April 1979 issue.  The Weston photos featured in Art Brown’s book were originally sent to noted miniature collector Harry Knode, so it’s possible Weston sold the rifle to Mr. Knode, who then later sold it to Mr. Berger.

Blued barrel, frame, sights, triggerguard, buttplate, & barrel bands..  The bolt assembly is finished in the white.  The barrel features a bayonet lug for a sword bayonet on the left side near the muzzle where the sword bayonet attaches.  There was most probably a scabbard for the bayonet originally, though one is not shown in any of the above photos.  The only other known French Gras miniature is featured on the cover of Art Brown’s book, and does have a bayonet.  Straight grained one piece stock & forearm with a gloss finish.  The wood grain is how I identified the rifle to the magazine & two books.  Folding long range rear sight which also pivots up to make a long range ladder sight, the rear of the long sight with the distance graduation markings.  The rifle has a center fire firing pin.  Sling swivels are located on the bottom of the barrel band and the rear bottom of the buttstock.  There is a beautiful steel cleaning/extractor rod in the channel under the barre with a slot for patches on the muzzle end, the other end threaded probably for a broken shell extractor.  The rifle show about 99% remaining original blue.  The rifled barrel bore is dark & shows pitting.  There is a chamber cut at the breech for a miniature 1/2 scale French Gras cartridge.  The Mexican Arsenal routinely made custom 1/2 scale miniature cartridges for their miniature rifles, often headstamped with the names of retired Mexican General Officers.  The stock shows numerous small scratches, dents & bruises, a small chip missing at the rear of the action upper tang, a small ship missing from the left rear of the upper buttplate tang, and about 98% of the original varnish finish.  I have disassembled the stock from the barreled action, and removed the buttplate to clean, Renaissance wax the metal & wood, & look for markings.  There are no visible markings that I could find other than the graduation markings on the rear sight.  The bayonet blade, crossguard, release, and rivets are steel finished in the white.  The pommel is yellow brass.  The two piece handles looks to be a dark walnut.  The bayonet is in overall 98% condition.  The workmanship, fit, & finish on this rifle & bayonet are exceptionally well done by obvious master craftsmen, & even more impressive when the stock is removed to view the hidden parts!  A really great miniature rifle in any case, with a provenance to one of the greatest miniature collections ever assembled.  An obvious museum quality piece with great historical significance.  I will include a copy each of Lindsey’s & Brown’s books with the rifle.  Stock # BK-36.  !!!!!SOLD!!!!!